How Can New Teachers Avoid Being Too Long-Winded in Class
1. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that the more detailed you explain, the better students will learn.
This mindset leads you to: explain a simple concept three or four times; extend an example repeatedly; proactively add extra content even when students haven't asked questions; worry that students won't understand and preemptively cover all possible issues in advance.
But a classroom is not about piling up information.
What students truly need is: core knowledge + a clear path to understanding + practice and application.
For example, when teaching kids to draw:
A new teacher might say:
"Everyone, pay attention here. Why do we draw it this way? Because trees in reality come in many forms—some are tall, some are short, some are thick, some are thin. And the branches aren't straight lines; they have variations. So when we draw…"
An experienced teacher might simply say:
"Don't draw the branches of a tree—draw the direction in which it grows. The trunk supports the structure, and the small branches add detail."
With one sentence, students grasp the key point immediately.
Every sentence we say should have a purpose.
Classroom language means knowing what students need to know most at that moment and telling them exactly that.
2. Think carefully about each lesson, clarify the logic, and connect the ideas.
When new teachers are long-winded, it's often not a problem with their expressive ability, but rather: they don't have a clear course structure in their minds.
If the teacher themselves doesn't know: what is most important in this lesson? What should students ultimately master? Which are the key points? Which are only supplementary?
Then they will inevitably keep expanding during class. Without a clear route, they explore as they go, leading to more and more content being covered.
So when preparing lessons, new teachers must not just prepare: what content I'm going to cover.
Instead, they should prepare: what learning process I'm going to guide students through.
For each lesson, at least clarify a few questions:
1) What problem does this lesson solve?
Example: Today we solve the problem of inaccurate figure proportions.
2) What are the core points students need to master?
Example: In landscape painting today, students need to master three main knowledge points: ink tone variation, the texture strokes of rocks, and leaving blank space in the composition.
All other content should revolve around these three points.
3) What is the classroom flow?
A mature lesson should have: problem introduction → method explanation → example analysis → student practice → revision and improvement → summary and transfer.
3. First establish the framework, then refine the questions.
The fastest way for a new teacher to grow is not to repeat teaching sessions, but to: build their own course system.
Many excellent teachers prepare lessons by following a few steps:
1) Organize the course framework.
Don't focus on details first.
First answer: What is the big framework of this lesson?
Example: Topic: "Understanding Color"
Framework:
1. What is color?
2. What are the basic relationships among colors?
3. How can we use color to express emotions?
4. How can students complete their work?
2) Refine classroom questions.
Don't let the class become one-way lecturing by the teacher.
Transform knowledge into questions.
For example: Instead of directly telling students what warm and cool colors are, ask: Why does seeing red make us feel warm? Why does seeing blue make us feel cool?
Guide students to think through questions. A string of questions is the rhythm of the lesson.
For example:
Opening: Why does the same element sometimes feel fiery and passionate, and other times calm and serene?
This leads to: Because different colors give people different feelings.
Continue: What relationships exist among colors?
This leads to: warm-cool relationships, light-dark relationships, and purity relationships.
In this way, the class progresses naturally.
4. Record audio or video and review with an "observer's perspective."
The problem with many teachers: they think they taught very well.
But students' actual experience may be completely different.
The reason: when you're teaching, it's hard to notice your own problems.
So you must review classroom recordings.
It doesn't have to be a public lesson. An ordinary class session is fine. Place your phone in a corner of the classroom and record the entire session.
Then find time to watch it as if you were analyzing someone else's class.
Don't judge emotionally: "Why did I teach so poorly?"
Instead, observe:
1) Time allocation.
Did you spend 15 minutes on something that could have been covered in 5?
Did you rush through important content instead?
2) Language expression.
Count your verbal habits:
Do you use a lot of filler words like: "then… actually… as you all know… this is simple… here… there… this… that…"?
These are meaningless words.
3) Student reactions.
Observe: When do students start to lose focus? When do they start to engage? When do they clearly not understand?
4) Classroom rhythm.
An excellent class is not about the teacher talking the whole time.
It's about: teacher explains → students think → students practice → teacher gives feedback.
If the teacher's voice fills the entire class, it means there isn't enough interaction.
5. Get thoroughly familiar with your course and distill the key and difficult points.
Another important reason new teachers are long-winded: they aren't familiar enough with the course.
Many teachers think: I know this content, so I can teach it.
But actually: knowing the content is not the same as knowing how to teach.
Teaching requires breaking down complex knowledge into steps that students can absorb.
A seasoned teacher should be able, with eyes closed, to know for their course: where the key points of this lesson are; where students are most likely to make mistakes; which parts need special emphasis; and which content doesn't need to be expanded.
Guide students along the designed path. The more familiar you are with the course, the simpler your teaching becomes.